Why You Should Never Dilute Your Green Juice

But the real secret to lifelong good health is actually the opposite: Let your body take care of you. ~Deepak Chopra

I was reading other juicing blogs today when I found a few sources suggesting you should dilute your juices. I wrote this post to tell you why not to do it.

At first, reading these blogs, I was confused. Why would you want to dilute all the rich, yummy goodness in your green juice? Diluting kills the true delicious taste of freshly pressed juice which, let me assure you, your green juice is very capable of producing should you drink it in pure form.

I don’t go to juice bars often but I have a select few in my area that I really like. They always offer to add water/ice, even protein powder, or seeds or oil extracts to my green juice. I always say no to all of the above.

Some people advice that as a new juicer, you should “take it easy” and modify the real taste of green juice in order to get familiar with it. I beg to differ. If you start with the real taste, you know what you’re in for (yummy-ness!). By diluting your green juice, you’re missing out on a lot.

Your taste buds never get to experience the real taste and since the diluted version is half as delicious, they might give a “blah” reaction to green juice.

Remember, when you’re new to juicing, you already have your Big Whys to do it and your aim is to form that juicing habit for the long haul. If you don’t learn the true taste and associate less than pure enjoyment with it, it gets very difficult to motivate yourself to juice regularly.

Green juices are a rare combination of health plus great taste, if done right. For you to make the most of it, always try the unadulterated form of juice.

So Why Do Some People Dilute Their Juices Anyway?

As I said, the reason could be because novice juicers are afraid of trying something so different. Green juices naturally evoke a bitter taste in your mind. Vegetables and green leafies have some bitterness to them, true, but that is why you use some fruit to adjust the taste. At the beginning, simply use more fruit.

I remember when I first started, I saw Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, a must-watch documentary by Joe Cross who started a revolution around juicing. I recommend this film to everyone in my Green Juicing Clinic and community. The stories in this film will inspire you for weeks, months and even years.

And nobody in this film – not the newbies, not the pros, not even Phil Staples, the hero who lost hundreds of pounds with juicing – ever modified or diluted their green juice either!

Listen, the truth is far from “bitter”. Green juice can be made sweet, delicious, moderate, hot and spicy, sweet or savory and everything in between. In fact, the more you drink your fresh green juices to be in their 100% pure form, the better you’ll like them.

Another popular reason for diluting juices is that fruit-only juices can be high in sugar content, especially without the fiber. Instead of diluting, modify the amount of fruit or use fruit that is lower in sugar, such as green apples, pears, and berries.

As a thumb rule, I stick to an 80-20 ratio when adding fruits to my green juices. I’ll use 80% veggies and 20% fruit for a dash of sweetness.

You can experiment with 70-30 or 60-40 ratio when you start out. Eventually, you want your greens to be in higher quantity that fruits.

In short, there is no need to dilute your juices.

When to Dilute Your Juice

That said, there are some combinations that produce very potent green juices and you may want to dilute them. Do so with additional fruit. Do so with removing some of the bitter tasting greens. Do so by modifying your ratios.

For example, I add cucumber as a base for dilution. Cucumber is mostly water and it works like a charm; it cuts out the bitterness of leafy greens without compromising your green juice goodness! You can also add a ½ lemon or lime; the citrus taste cuts out the bitterness well too. See below for the super-cleanse green juice recipe.

Super-cleanse Green Juice Recipe (with Cucumber and Lemon)

2 cups spinach or 4 leaves of kale

1 large cucumber

1 bunch parsley

2 green apples

½ lemon

1-2 cloves of garlic

½ inch ginger

So my closing tip? Get your juice on in its pure form and go on your juicing adventures starting today! There are a lot of resources to help you get started on this website and additional resources here.

And if you’re looking for some friendly hand-holding and mingling with other “juice-minded” people, join the community at the Prolific Juicing Clinic!